{"id":225503,"date":"2026-01-09T19:41:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T19:41:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/225503\/"},"modified":"2026-01-09T19:41:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T19:41:08","slug":"dvm-spiro-mmxxvi-grave-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/225503\/","title":{"rendered":"Dvm Spiro – MMXXVI – Grave Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"As is perhaps unsurprising for a doom act, Dvm Spiro appear to have a preoccupation with death. The subtitle of their debut, MMXIX \u2013 In Frigidum Lectum is Latin for In a Cold Bed\u2014presumably an allusion to one\u2019s grave\u2014and now, sophomore MMXXVI \u2013 Grave states that concept explicitly. This legacy in misery actually extends further into the past, as three of Dvm Spiro\u2019s four members also play in longstanding Italian doom outfit Nihili Locus. With this kind of doom pedigree, the promotional references to legendary artists My Dying Bride, Funeral, and Shape of Despair feel promising and are apt insofar as the core vibe goes. But there are far more sides to Grave than these clickbait comparisons can capture, and it\u2019s in these that the record stands or falls.<\/p>\n

Grave is funeral doom, broadly categorized. It borrows plenty from a cavernous and malevolent doom-death on the one hand, and an almost post-doom ambience on the other. Rather than any of the actual touchstones mentioned, it is Ahab that Dvm Spiro\u2019s music seems to channel most strongly and frequently, the particular rhythm and tone of warm liquid plucks and an intruding sinister melody\u2014combined with the crushing heaviness either side\u2014reminding me in particular of Call of the Wretched Sea (\u201cIndistinta Morte,\u201d \u201cInsoluto D\u2019Anima\u201d). There are also a few hints of the aforementioned Funeral (\u201cTroppo Lente Scendono Le Tue\u201d) and Endonomos (\u201cDissentimento\u201d). In general, Dvm Spiro largely eschew that grandiose transcendence of synth-forward funeral doom and tip the melodic scales away from mournful beauty in favor of a more unsettling dissonance or uncomfortable modal shifting. There are still majestic, mellifluous moments, but Grave seems intended to trouble its listener more than anaesthetise or provide catharsis.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s this subversion of aesthetic expectations that gives Dvm Spiro and Grave their character. On paper, the vocal dynamic between female cleans and male harsh vox in the context of doom suggests an ethereal Beauty-and-the-Beast dichotomy\u2014\u00e0 la Shape of Despair or Draconian. But Dvm Spiro don\u2019t play into the trope so neatly, elevating tension with multifaceted performances from both vocalists. Valeria De Benedectis\u2019 singing carries some of the record\u2019s most beautiful moments (\u201cIndistinta Morte,\u201d \u201cTroppo Lente\u2026\u201d), but also some of the most discomfiting as her voice lapses into haughty, ardent repetition (\u201cIndistinta Morte\u201d) or turns sharply into a malevolent tone (\u201cPreludio,\u201d \u201cDissentimento\u201d). Roberto Ripollino\u2019s growls join her sometimes for an undeniably powerful duet of opposites (\u201cDissentimento\u201d) but so too do Maurizio DeMichelis\u2019s raspier snarls (\u201cTroppo Lente\u2026,\u201d \u201cInsoluto D\u2019Anima\u201d), creating a blunter, less perfect contrast that jostles the emotions. Pianos, strings, and guitars alike flow, strum, and weep with pathos for a phrase (\u201cTroppo Lente\u2026\u201d), a rare rise above the gloom (\u201cPreludio,\u201d \u201cDissentimento\u201d), or a dreamlike intro (\u201cIndistinta Morte,\u201d \u201cInsoluto D\u2019Anima\u201d); in these moments, you could almost believe you\u2019re in the more comforting, less real world of another, prettier doom. Grave, however, has other designs, shifting into discordance or another key, dropping a strange tritone and an accompanying guitar chord (\u201cPreludio,\u201d \u201cIndistinta Morte,\u201d \u201cTroppo Lente\u2026\u201d), forcing you to confront the negativity.<\/p>\n

\"\"Grave is thus striking, but not always in a way that works. I couldn\u2019t and won\u2019t argue that metal of any kind must be an unchallenging listening experience, but Dvm Spiro\u2019s choices sometimes go beyond adding nuance and approach confusion. The modulations can be too jarring (\u201cPreludio,\u201d \u201cInsoluto D\u2019Anima\u201d), songs too long without meaningful builds (\u201cIndistinta Morte\u201d), and prevarication around structures and refrains sometimes frustrating (\u201cTroppo Lente\u2026\u201d). There is both too much and too little happening for the album\u2019s epic 75-minute length to maintain the coherence and magnetism that might be added with more flowing compositions that committed more firmly to a sinister dissonance or uplifting pathos through each successive movement. And so multifaceted passages tend to distract, and extended sections pull back the progression of compositions, rather than drive it onwards.<\/p>\n

Let it not be said that Grave is thereby a weak record. Its brilliant moments of both harmony (\u201cTroppo Lente\u2026\u201d) and malevolence (\u201cIndistina Morte\u201d) shine and prove Dvm Spiro capable of magnificence in both aspects. There is a peculiar power in the subtleties and variance of their melodic and compositional approaches that may resonate more with some listeners than others. As a whole, it doesn\u2019t possess the magnitude or the mystique to fully envelop right now. Perhaps its strength is far more insidious.<\/p>\n

Rating: Good
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps
Label: My Kingdom Music<\/a>
Websites: Bandcamp<\/a> | Facebook<\/a>
Releases Worldwide: January 16th, 2025<\/p>\n

\n\tGive in to Your Anger:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As is perhaps unsurprising for a doom act, Dvm Spiro appear to have a preoccupation with death. The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":225504,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[2246,9654,134766,19808,81236,134767,134768,156,26524,105339,43576,133935,134769,157,134770,111,139,134771,69,762,763],"class_list":{"0":"post-225503","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-2246","9":"tag-3-0","10":"tag-ahab","11":"tag-death-doom","12":"tag-doom","13":"tag-dvm-spiro","14":"tag-endonomos","15":"tag-entertainment","16":"tag-funeral","17":"tag-funeral-doom","18":"tag-italian-metal","19":"tag-jan26","20":"tag-mmxxvi-grave","21":"tag-music","22":"tag-my-kingdom-music","23":"tag-new-zealand","24":"tag-newzealand","25":"tag-nihili-locus","26":"tag-nz","27":"tag-review","28":"tag-reviews"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=225503"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225503\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/225504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=225503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=225503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=225503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}